Conceptual Data Model - A Foundation for Successful Concurrent Engineering

Abstract

Today, phase A studies of future space systems are often conducted in special design facilities such as the Concurrent Engineering Facility (CEF) at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Within these facilities the studies are performed following a defined process making use of a data model for information exchange. Quite often it remains unclear what exactly such a data model is and how it is implemented and applied. Nowadays, such a data model is usually a software using a formal specification describing its capabilities within a so called meta-model. This meta-model, often referred as Conceptual Data Model (CDM), is finally used and instantiated as system model during these CE studies. Such software also provides a user interface for instantiating and sharing the system model within the design team and it provides capabilities to analyze the system model on the fly. This is possible due to the semantics of the underlying CDM creating a common language used to exchange and process design information. This paper explains the implementation of the data model at DLR and shows information how it is applied in the concurrent engineering process of the CEF. It highlights important aspects concerning the modeling capabilities during a study and discusses how they can be implemented into a corresponding CDM. Accordingly, the paper presents important aspects such as rights management and data consistency and the implications of them to the software's underlying technology. A special use case of the data model is depicted and shows the flexibility of the implementation proven by a study of a multi module space station.